he stood there for 10-15 minutes and explained those experiences to us, most of us have never had that sort of experience. it gave us a new sense of him, and it increased our respect for him, if that could have been pofnlpossible. so i join with my colleagues to say that senator dan inouye was a patriot. he set the standard really for a united states senator. he set the standard for a man or woman in our military fighting to defend his or her country. and he set the standard as an individual who showed courtesy to everyone he met. we will miss him. we honor him, and we say to his family our expressions of grief to them but, more importantly, our great respect for our colleague who today is gone. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from eafnlg alaska. mr. begich: mr. president, i ask consent to speak until my comments are completed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i rise today to pay tribute to a mentor of mine in the senate, senator daniel inouye. the histories of my state and senator inouye's closely -- are closely conn